Drake drops iHeartMedia from lawsuit over 'Not Like Us'

Drake has removed iHeartMedia from his lawsuit against Universal Music Group (UMG) in Texas, which involved alleged 'under-the-table payments' for promoting Kendrick Lamar's diss track 'Not Like Us'. A recent court filing reveals that Drake and iHeart reached an 'amicable settlement' without financial compensation. In the original petition filed in November 2024, Drake accused UMG of using iHeartRadio in a 'pay-to-play scheme' to artificially spread 'Not Like Us' on the airwaves. iHeartMedia stated that Drake dropped the lawsuit after reviewing documents proving the company was not involved. However, Drake's legal battle with UMG continues. He no longer accuses the radio stations of unfair practices but is suing UMG for defamation, claiming that UMG knowingly promoted the song 'Not Like Us,' which accuses him of sexual misconduct. In his lawsuit, he argues that UMG could have prevented the song's release or edited its content but instead exploited it to damage his reputation. The dispute escalated when Drake accused UMG of spreading defamatory content during Lamar's Super Bowl halftime show, watched by over 133 million people. UMG has denied all allegations, calling them an attempt to 'silence artistic expressions'. A pretrial conference for Drake's defamation lawsuit is scheduled for April 2. UMG has requested a delay to dismiss the lawsuit.